Final county master plan meetings set

Saturday

Jan 5, 2013 at 12:01 AM

More chances to comment and offer input on the county’s Master Plan will be offered in February and March.

By Shawna Jankoviakshawna@cheboygantribune.com

More chances to comment and offer input on the county’s Master Plan will be offered in February and March.Community Development Director Steve Schnell said meetings have been set for Feb. 6, Feb. 20 and March 6, each one for residents in a different “third” of the county.Schnell said a draft of the Future Land Use map will be posted on Cheboygan County’s Web site and anyone attending should review the map prior to the meeting so they are prepared to make comments and suggestions.Meetings have been set for Feb. 6 for residents of Mentor, Ellis, Walker, Forest, Nunda, Wilmot and Waverly townships and the Village of Wolverine; Feb. 20 for residents of Tuscarora, Koehler, Burt, Mullett, Aloha and Grant townships; and, March 6 for residents of Mackinaw, Hebron, Beaugrand, Munro, Inverness and Benton townships and the City of Cheboygan and Village of Mackinaw City.All meetings will begin at 7 p.m. and will be part of the normal Planning Commission meeting in room 135 (the Commissioners Room) of the Cheboygan County Building.Although nine meetings were held throughout the county in October and November to gather input, Schnell said many attendees had additional considerations after the meetings took place and contacted the Planning and Zoning Department with further input. As a result, Schnell these meetings were organized so citizens will have another chance to have those conversations publicly.The Master Plan is a document which describes the goals and objectives for how land is used in the county. The goals are set based on what people will want the county to look like in 20 years. The zoning ordinance is built around these goals in the Master Plan. “For instance, if a township wants commercial businesses at a major intersection, then the map would be color-coded to show this,” Schnell explained. “This is important because any future changes to the land use laws (zoning ordinance) for that area will refer back to this Master Plan and the ‘Future Land Use’ map and would have to be consistent with it.”The Future Land Use map shows various categories of land use throughout the county. It shows where, over the next 20 years, each of these land use types should be located.“This is an important part of the process,” Schnell said. “The Planning Commission’s job following this review is to integrate the comments and provide a consistent land use plan for the whole county. For this reason, not all changes suggested will make the final product, but an integrated and appropriate plan is the goal.”Schnell said there were 10 or 12 properties that were moved into a more appropriate future land use category as a result of public input already.Anyone who can’t attend a meeting can provide their thoughts along with their name and contact information via e-mail to steve@cheboygancounty.net or by phone at 231-627-8485 or by mail to Cheboygan County Planning Commission, P.O. Box 70, 870 S. Main St., Cheboygan, MI, 49713. Also, at any time, input can be provided to the Planning and Zoning office including via e-mail at planning@cheboygancounty.net. Call the office for more information.